This invention relates generally to shower stall cabinets or enclosures and more specifically to free-standing or self-supporting shower stall enclosures employing flexible wall panels with rigidifying means therefor.
Shower stall enclosures having lightweight flexible wall panels constructed of relatively thin gauge metal have long been known and used in the prior art. Wall panels defining such enclosures were typically rigidified by means of a rectangular metal drain base into which the bottom edges of the panels were inserted. In addition, elongated metal angle members were disposed along the top edges of the panels and across the doorway and secured together at their adjacent ends, and a metal strap was disposed along the panels either within or outside of the stall at a level intermediate the base and angle members. A difficulty encountered with these early prior art enclosures was their tendency to corrode wih long term exposure to water and steam.
Such problems with corrosion were thereafter substantially overcome in the prior art by constructing lightweight flexible wall panels of non-corrosive plastic materials such as, for example, fiberglass reinforced polyester resin, polypropylene, ABS, and the like. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,358 issued to J. E. Chisholm, et al. on Sept. 11, 1973 which discloses a free-standing shower stall constructed entirely of plastic and consisting of a one-piece three-sided wall panel disposed within a molded rectangular base or receptor and further reinforced at the top of the wall panel by means of a header and wall surrounding support. Another free-standing flexible walled shower stall is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,737 issued to B. E. Mustee on Aug. 14, 1973 consisting of either a one-piece three-sided plastic wall panel having either a "live hinge" formed of plastic along the two vertical rear corners thereof or three separate plastic wall panels joined together at the two rear corners by strips of flexible waterproof plastic tape, also to form hinges. In either case, the latter patent discloses the rigidification of such panels by insertion of their bottom edges into a molded plastic base, joinder of their top edges by means of metal angle members, and by disposition of a rigid U-shaped hand rail within the enclosure so as to bridge the two inside rear corners of the stall and extend laterally along adjacent wall panels to interconnect the same together.
A difficulty that has been encountered with the latter prior art shower stall is the necessity of employing a bent hand rail member with a resulting relatively low strength-to-weight ratio. Another difficulty encountered is the taking up of valuable space within the shower stall through use of a hand rail element which is more extensive than necessary in order to provide adequate and convenient hand holding means.
By means of the present invention, a useful self-supporting shower stall enclosure is provided having highly rigidified flexible wall panels which substantially overcomes these and other prior art difficulties.